Get Beautiful Brows on a Budget

2010 taught us that brows were back in a big way. 2010 also taught us the importance of mastering DIY beauty routines to save some bucks. Clean, groomed brows are the easiest way to achieve a polished overall look and you don’t need to head to a salon to achieve the look. Deanna Netti-Cahill, “The Brow Diva” and owner of the Brow Diva product line shares some of her best brow secrets so you can get the perfect brows at home without breaking the bank www.browdiva.com.

Let them Grow!: The trick to getting the perfect shape is to start out with a full set of brows. Growing out your brows is almost as hard as growing out your bangs- the urge to prematurely tweeze can be overwhelming. But there is also no need to look like Oscar the Grouch during this awkward phase. Use Brow Diva’s Brow Control, a clear brow gel to keep strays in place and looking tame – and to keep YOU away from the tweezers.

Know your ShapeOnce: You have achieved a full set of brows, you’re ready to tweeze… Carefully! After all, you’ve put a lot of work into growing out your brows. The trick to tweezing like a pro is knowing what shape works best for your face type. Not to thin, not to thick with a clear beginning and an end. Draw an imaginary line from where your nostril meets the bridge of your nose and go straight up. This is where your brow should begin (so many people over wax and over tweeze giving you that deer in headlights look.) End the brow by drawing an imaginary line from your nostril to the outside corner of your eye (even a tad longer). Tweeze the stray hairs in the middle. Start at the beginning, go up to the arch (at a slight incline) and then tweeze your way back down to the end (at a slight decline). Only tweeze the obvious hairs and what you’re left with is the perfect shape for your face!

Learn to Trim: Trimming your brows sounds super scary and at some point you were probably told never ever to put scissors to your brows. But it isn’t as hard as you may think and when done correctly makes a world of difference. To start, purchase a pair of high quality scissors. I find mustache scissors are the way to go.

Using the spooley end of the Brow Diva Duo Brow brush, starting with the inner most part (closest to the nose), brush the hair straight up, hold the hair in place with one hand and with the other hand carefully trim the long hairs with the point of the scissors at a slight angle down.
For the arched area, brush the hair in the direction of growth, hold the hair in place with one hand and with the other hand trim the longest hairs, always at a slight angle. Think of an inverted “V” and carefully trim out the arch.
For the outer 1/3 of the brow, brush the hair towards the temple, hold the hair in place with one hand and trim from the end up at a slight angle on the outside of the brow.

Choose the Correct Color: I have had clients come to me with the most amazing brows that are not being highlighted to their advantage because they are either not using any brow products at all or they are picking the wrong shade. Repeat after me: Every set of brows will benefit from brow products. I strongly encourage my customers to stay away from pencils and stick with using a brow base and a brow powder. When choosing the hue for you, simply choose a color that is an exact match to your eyebrow hair or a shade lighter, never go darker unless you’re going for a Groucho look. Brow Diva offers 6 different brow bases and brow powders and I have yet to meet a customer whose hair I couldn’t match!